The English major offers a rich variety of courses for students interested in literature, creative writing, and language and society. Among the interdisciplinary offerings are courses in film, linguistics, and global studies.
Students may prepare for the study of literature on the graduate level. Concentrated work in English will be of great value to students preparing for such business and professional careers as editing, publishing, science and technical writing, advertising, public relations, and communications. The literature courses are designed to help students sharpen their reading and writing skills, gain new insights into human nature and cultural diversity, and achieve increased flexibility in their own approach to life.
Students preparing for graduate study in literature should have some knowledge of the range of English, American, and non-Western literature and should be acquainted with such major figures as Chaucer and Shakespeare. Because most graduate schools have foreign language requirements and candidates must sometimes demonstrate competence in several languages, prospective graduate students are urged to undertake their study of foreign languages as early as possible.
Students in English are encouraged to broaden their base of knowledge in as many fields as possible, many of which will resonate with interdisciplinary approaches in their English courses. Courses in comparative literature, foreign languages, communication studies, history, art, music, religion, philosophy, psychology, sociology, and education are especially recommended.
The literature concentration in the English major will develop students’ critical thinking and communication skills through an in-depth exposure to British, American, and global Anglophone literary traditions including literature in translation. The concentration will offer students’ knowledge of literary history from the Medieval period to the present and multiple literary genres, while enabling them to understand how different rhetorical and formal devices can be used to capture particular political, cultural, and social realities and inspire specific emotional and intellectual responses. Literature courses are designed to help students sharpen their reading and writing skills, gain new insights into human experience and cultural diversity, and develop a flexibility of mind conducive to informed and ethical civic engagement. A defining purpose of this concentration is to encourage students to read literature critically in order to enhance their capacity for creativity, empathy, and reflection. As they proceed through the major, students will learn various strategies for interpreting different literary works, while developing the ability to produce cogent, persuasive analytical essays, using evidence from the text, engaging with secondary criticism and literary theory, and conducting research. By improving students’ analytical and oral and written communication skills, studying literature will prepare them for a variety of professional fields, including publishing, journalism, creative writing in fiction and nonfiction, education, law, marketing and advertising, science and technical writing, public relations, government, and nonprofits.
Electives (15 credits)
Choose five additional courses for 15 credits. Electives must be selected from Department of English offerings numbered at the 3000, 4000, 5000, and 6000-levels. Courses offered by the Harman Writer-in-Residence are also included.
Note: Interdisciplinary courses, such as Feit Seminars (IDC 4050H), and appropriate film studies courses may be included with prior permission of the department.
The English major’s concentration in Rhetoric, Writing, and Linguistics will enhance students’ critical thinking skills as they learn how language operates, how sentence structures shape meaning, and how knowing one’s audience is crucial in determining what words should be used in order to reach that audience. The concentration will also invite students to consider how the language we seem to control has also in certain ways predetermined our values and helped shape who we are. Through courses on both historical and contemporary rhetorical and linguistic principles and conventions, students will learn to analyze language and texts in relation to their historical and cultural contexts, as well as develop an understanding of how these contexts shape their own writing. This concentration will equip students with the knowledge, skills, and experience they need for contemporary careers as writers or editors in business, government, medical, education, or nonprofit organizations, as well as strong persuasive skills ideal for future studies in law school or other graduate studies.
Concentration Required Courses (12-13 credits)
Four of the following courses in rhetoric, writing, and linguistics:
ENG 3001
Crafting Stronger Sentences: Conventions of English Grammar
3 credits
ENG 3070
Introduction to Writing Studies and Rhetorical Theory
3 credits
ENG 3105
The Art of Editing: Crafting and Revising in Community
3 credits
ENG 3700
Introduction to Linguistics
3 credits
ENG 3750
Structure and History of English
3 credits
ENG 3680
Advanced Essay Writing
3 credits
ENG 3960
Topics in Language
3 credits
ENG 4015
Globalization of English
3 credits
ENG 4025
Data and Writing Toward Social Change
3 credits
ENG 4040
Language, Social Media, and Identity (COM 4040)
3 credits
ENG 4920
Narrative Writing
4 credits
Concentration Elective Course:
One upper-division elective selected from the department’s 3000- and 4000-level courses.
Students are expected to complete the major requirements in place at the time they are officially accepted into their programs. Please review the College Bulletin for the relevant academic year.
